Development of ceramic membranes from low-cost clays for the separation of oil–water emulsion

Development of ceramic membranes from low-cost clays for the separation of oil–water emulsion

Type	Journal Article
Author	Kanchapogu Suresh
Author	G. Pugazhenthi
URL	http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2014.979445
Volume	57
Issue	5
Pages	1927-1939
Publication	Desalination and Water Treatment
Date	January 26, 2016
Abstract	Describes fabrication of ceramic microfiltration membranes using the uniaxial dry compaction method. Researchers prepared four membranes, to wit, SP1, SP2, SP3, and SP4, with a number of compositions of fly ash and titanium dioxide (TiO2) followed by sintering at 1,100°C. Characterization results revealed that as the TiO2 content increases in the precursor formulations, the porosity and mechanical stability of the membranes also increase, while the average pore size reduces from 2.97 to 1.32 μm. The chemical stability of all the membranes was determined to be superior in both acidic and basic medium. The performance of the membrane (SP4) was examined for the separation of oil–water emulsion and the membrane exhibits a maximum oil rejection of 99.2%.